Talking machine



B. R. SEABHUUK TALKiNG MACHWE APPLICATION FILED MAY 31,19l3 1 ,436,69. Patent i NW. 28, 1922.

Patented Nov. 28, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BAGSTER BOADS'SEABROOK, OF WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, OANAIDA, ASSIGNOIZ, BY

HESNE ASSIGNMENTS, IO LYRADION MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF MISHA- WAKA, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

TALKING .MACHINE.

Application flied Kay 81, 1918. Serial No.- 287,582.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Baos'rnn Roaos Snannoon, of the it of Winnepeg, in the Province of Manitol m, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 'in Talking Machines, of which the following is the specificatiton.

The Invention relates to improvements in talking machines and the general object of the invention is to provide an attachment to a talking machine whereby the quality, modulation of the sounds reproduced from the record can be controlled to give a more natural reproduction of the recorded sound and further to construct the attachment so that it can be set to accommodate the particular record being reproduced.

A still further object of the invention is to construct a talking machine having the sound box tube entirely independent of the horn and to provide for the introduction of air to the horn at the point where 'the sound box tube delivers to the horn.

A still further object of the inventiton is to construct the attachment in a simple, durable and inexpensive manner and so that it can be readily regulated by manipulation from the exterior of the machine.

With these and other ends in view I illustrate in the accompanying drawings such instances of adaptation as will disclose the broad underlying principles which are involved without limiting myself to the specific details shown on the drawing and which are described herein.

Fig. 1 represents a side view of the upper part of the talking machine showing my invention applied.

Fig. 2 represents an ienlarged -detailed vertical sectional view through one of the upper corners of the machine body and showing my invention as applied and in side elevation.

Fig. 3 represents a front view of the parts ap caring in Fig. 2.

ig. 4 represents a vertical sectional view centrally throu h the adjoining ends of the tonearm and tie horn with my attachment. applied.

Fig. 5 re resents a horizontal sectional view througli the appliance, the section being taken in a plane directly above the sliding gate or shutter and. looking downwardly.

Fig. 6 represents a vertical sectional view through the guide for the shutter.

Fig. 7 represents a perspective view of the pivoted lever" for changing the position of thevtone ring.-

Fig. 8 represents an enlarged detailed side view of the adjusting screw associated with the tone ring lever.

In the drawing like characters "of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures. 1 represents the case or body of a talking machine having a closed top or motor board 2 which carries the tone arm 3 fitted with the sound box 4 provided with the suual stylus or needle 5. 6 represents a turn table on which the ordinary record 7 to be reproduced is placed. 8 represents the horn of a machine and all of the above parts with the exception of certain changes which I make in the suspension of the'horn are for the purpose of this description of any desired constructiton and for this reason a further description of them is not herein iven. It is however to be understood at the turn table is operated by a motor sually mounted beneath the motor board 2 (not shown) wound by crank B in the ordinary way and that the record is placed on the turn table and the stylus or needle is placed on the record in the usual manner.

The rear end of the to 2 arm 3, at its base is provided with. a orizontall disposed flange 9 that is pivotally attac ed in any desired manner, at 10; to the top 2 of the casing. As ordinarily constructed, at the end of the tone arm an opening 11 is formed in the top 2 and the horn is attached on the underside of the top with the opening at the receiving end in direct connection with the opening 11 so as to form a continuous unbroken passage from the former to the latter.

In my construction in this instaneeI make a radical departure from this procedure b not mechanically connecting the horn wit the tone arm at all but I leave a clear unconnected space across which the sound is obliged to travel, by fastening the horn to a bracket 12 attached to the rear side of the case. Within this bracket or in any other relation I may place an amplifying control slide 19 which may be used to cooperate 7 forms have been used heretofore, but I do not believe the cooperating structures such as I have disclosed have been so used. Of the various features illustrated in the accompanying drawing that relating to the tone control is the more important. This is unique in that it does not depend on the usual expedient of varying the length of a column of air to change the itch or vibrations per second, but depen ence is placed on a variation of the area of the space 39 where extraneous air is admitted to the sound waves which are directed from thetone arm to the horn for amplification.

The amplifying control slide 19 has endwise movement adjacent the guides 18 formed on strips 13 and 14 which are attached to the bracket 12. This slide 19 lies on top of a plate 15 in which a round opening 16 is formed. The inner end of plate'19 has a semicircular recess 21 of about the same radius as that to which the opening 16 is formed and -a small opening 20 is made near the outer end of the plate into which the upper end of arm 25 extends. This arm is secured to a rod 24 and a knurled thumb piece 22 on the end of rod 24 is used to move the plate 19 to and fro so as to change the size of the o ning A.

The detai features of the tone control comprise a tube 26 secured in the opening 11, by nailing at27 or otherwise. It is of the same internal diameter as the large end of the tone arm 3. Its lower end is beveled from the inside outward as shown at 28 and it serves as a su port on which the tone ring 29 slides up an dowrnunder the control of an desired mechanism.

11 the present-instance the tone ring 29 is adjusted from outside the case 1 b means of screw head 37. This has a threa ed stem 36 which engages the threaded portion of a suitable bushing set into an opening in the side of the case. Its inner end is formed with two annular shoulders 34 and 35. At this point a slot 32 of the short arni of hell crank 30 passes over the grooved portion of stem 36. The bell crank 30 has its long arm bifurcated as shown in F ig. 7 so as to pass half-way around the tone ring 29 and the extreme ends of this long arm are slotted for the reception of pins 33 which project from the side of the rin The bell crank is suitably pivoted at 3 The operation will be readily undersj as a twining movement of the head 37 wil raise and lower the'pins 33 and'the ring 29 d will retain the adjustment as long as 'desi d. a

38 represents a parajively short up- Ijrom the above arrangement it will be ap-' parent than an annular air passage 39 which simulates an inverted truncated cone, is

formed between the tone ring and the coni-' cal tube, which air passage can be varied in area dependinguppn the adjustment given the tone ring. When the tone ring is in its uppermost position this annular passage is greatest and it gradually decreases in area as the outer cylinder is moved downward owing to the flare of the tube. In actual practice 'I may adjust both the shutter and the 'cy1inder'29 coordinately to the record which is to be played and when such an inner related adustment is made I find that the record is produced in a superior manner.

By manipulating the shutter it will be obvious that the sound opening at A to. the

horn can be enlarged or decreased with the 'be varied to suit the ear of the bearer.

Whilst I have described the particular appliance for efl'ecting the adjustment of the shutter and of the cylinder 29, still it will be understood that I do not limit myself to the related dimensions of the parts 29 and 38 as these can be readily modified without in the slightest departing from the spirit of my invention.

What Lclaim as my invention-is 1 In talking machines, a horizontally pivoted tone arm, a tubular extension therefor passing beyond the tone arm pivot, an amplifying horn whose smaller reoeivin end is independently supported, long an short flaring ends to said horn, and an adjustable tone ring slidable on the tone arm extension and projecting into the short flaring end of the horn but spaced apart therefrom whereb the area between the two parts may be c anged at will to modify the delivery of soun to the horn.

2. In sound reproduction, amplifying horn, tone so that sound waves coming from the tone arm will traverse the open area between said arm and horn before being delivered to the horn, and means for causing a current of air to be admitted variably as desired to the traversing sound waves.

a tone arm, an means for supporting the ,free opening of 3. The combination with the delivery end of the sound box tube of a talking machine, of a horn having the receiving end thereof flared and receiving but spaced from the delivery end of the tube, a cylinder slidably mounted on the delivery end qt the tube and operating within the flaringend of the horn and means for adjusting the cylinder in respect to the horn to increase or diminish the area of the space between the horn and the tube.

4. In talking machines, a sound box connected to a tone arm, an amplifying horn in acoustic register with the delivery end of the tone arm but mechanically disconnected therefrom by a free air space so as to admit extraneous air at this point, and means for controlling such admission as desired within such air space. v

5. In talking machines, an amplifying horn having large and small flaring openings joined by a neck of reduced diameter, means therein for changing the size of the the neck, a tone arm terthe small end of the horn but spaced a art therefrom, and means for reducing an enlarging said interspace to thereby cooperate with the born to selectively modify the final rendition of the horn.

6. In talking machines, a horn having its minating within receiving end flared, a tone arm terminating within said end but spaced apart therefrom, and a tone ring operative between the tone arm and the horn adapted to change the clear space between the ring and the horn through a reduction of its area.

7. In talking machines, an amplifying horn, a tone arm acoustically connected thereto but spaced apart therefrom, means comprising a sound box for causing sound wavesto be delivered to the tone arm and from the tone arm to the horn, means for admitting an encircling air stream to surround and commingle with the passing sound waves proceeding from the tone arm, and means for controlling the admission of such air stream.

8. In talking machines, a horn, a tone arm disconnected from the horn to form a clear space between them, and means for variably connecting them in acoustic relation while spaced apart from each other by changing the dimension of said space.

Signed at \Vinnipeg, this 15th day of May, 1918.

BAGSTER ROADS SEABROOK.

In the presence of G. L. Roxnoaen, K. B. WAKEFIELD. 

